Albany State University is in a bit of trouble.  The “Historically Black” school apparently admitted students who didn’t meet the minimum standards for the University.  For some, this may not seem like that big of a deal, but with Albany State, it is.

ASU, you may recall, made a pretty big deal out of Darton getting a four year nursing program.  At that time, they argued that Darton was the “white” school and that it would draw students away from ASU.  I said then that their argument was bull.  Those students who wanted to go to ASU would still go to ASU, while those who went to Darton and opted for a four year degree afterwards were generally going to Americus to attend Georgia Southwestern State University.

However, ASU’s actions should really earn the ire of Darton College.  You see, universities in Georgia have minimum standards that students must meet.  These students didn’t.  As such, their recourse should have been to attend Darton until they met ASU’s standards.  Instead, Albany State just admitted them and therefore kept them out of Darton College.

I’m all about the free markets, and think a more free market in education would ultimately lead to better education.  However, until that happens, I think all parties need to follow the rules.  It’s just that simple.  ASU didn’t, and again it’s just that simple.

President Freeman can say all he wants about how these students were just a few points below the level.  It just doesn’t matter.  They didn’t meet the minimum that the state requires.  If they don’t want to meet the state’s standards, then perhaps they should explore becoming a private university and then they’ll be free to set whatever standards they want.

However, the fact remains that the revelation only spurred on the feelings many have regarding ASU.  While few will argue against the economic impact of ASU’s homecoming, many question the quality of Albany State’s graduates.  Without a doubt, there are some quality folks who have graduated from ASU, but they are tarnished by the graduates who have shown themselves to be less than stellar in their respective fields.

With the information that we learned last week regarding ASU’s willful disregard of the state mandated standards, many in the community can’t help but feel that this is clearly part of the problem.  In addition, the fact that apparently faculty feels rather put upon based on a letter they sent to the Board of Regents last year, one must wonder how much real education is happening on the ASU campus.

I was having a conversation with someone last week when they recounted a conversation they had with someone else.  “He doesn’t like libertarians because he says he wants to help kids on seniors,” she said.  I was taken a little aback by that, because if that’s the image we libertarians have, it’s no wonder we have the reputation we have.

Luckily, I happen to have an opportunity to set the record straight about what many libertarians actually think.  Let’s start off with kids.

Many people support welfare programs, despite their record of failure, because they just don’t want to punish kids for their parents’ failings.  I can understand that completely.  After all, I was just like those folks for years.  Unfortunately, there’s a flaw in that logic.

You see, when parents don’t have to do anything to provide for their kids, many of them just won’t. They know that they have our tax dollars to spend on food and clothing for their children, so they opt to just kick back and do nothing.

I care about those kids.  I want those kids to have more than the minimum.  I envision a world where those parents have to get off their butts and make a living the same as the rest of us have to.  Then, those kids can get more than just the basics.  They would have an opportunity to have even more, as well as learn that if one wants to thrive in this world, one must work for it.

Now, there are always going to be kids that need help for whatever reason.  I agree that it isn’t their fault that they’re in their current predicament.  That’s where private charity kicks in, and yes I believe that we all need to up our contributions to private charities.  Let the private sector take up the cause of helping out less fortunate kids, and quite requiring it through taxation and wealth redistribution schemes.

As for senior citizens, things are a bit trickier.  You see, I know of no libertarian who is in favor of Social Security.  However, many accept that it is here and that we can’t just cut it without destroying the lives of a lot of seniors.  I’m one of them.  I also recognize that Social Security is deeply flawed and that something must be done.

The reality is that Social Security is essentially a Ponzi scheme where my parents’ generation paid for their folks, and now they’re living off of my generation.  That’s not how it was supposed to work, but that’s the reality of it.  The first thing that needs to be done is to figure out a balance of what’s best for future generations and what’s best for current seniors.

I’m personally in favor of permitting those of us under 55 to take our Social Security withholdings into a private account if we so choose.  Yes, there is risk involved.  So what?  My generation is the first to accept that we will probably not receive Social Security since the program first started.

So what would those under 55 being able to opt out do for current seniors?  Not much.  Remember that Social Security withholdings actually go into the general account for the United States government and therefore current benefits are coming out of there as well.  We simply continue paying current benefits while permitting future generations of senior citizens to invest their withholdings (instead of them going to pay for what politicians want right now).  The result is current seniors receive what they’ve been receiving with no interruption.  In time, you will minimize those receiving social security as more and more realize that they will have a more comfortable retirement by investing.

Now, I’m not the spokesman for libertarianism as a whole.  I recognize that my Utopia will never happen, and that’s fine with me.  I’m willing to try and work with the world I have and accept less than ideal solutions, so long as they’re a move in the right direction.  However, to claim that libertarians don’t care about kids or older folks is just plain wrong.

The United States Constitution as well as the Georgia Constitution lists the rights of citizens. Among the rights listed are the right of personal security, personal liberty, and the right of private property. The definition of ‘personal security’ is ‘The legal and uninterrupted enjoyment by a man of his life, his body, his health and his reputation’. Furthermore, the definition of ‘private property’ is ‘The tangible and intangible things owned by individuals’. Dr. Mark Cooray says, “Personal liberty means not only freedom from unlawful physical restraint or harm, but also freedom from arbitrary interference with one’s privacy and lawful belongings.”  Local governments should not have the ability to strip us of these rights as they do when local zoning ordinances ban us from the Right to Grow.

For a number of reasons, people are returning to their agrarian roots and growing their own food. Some people are doing it because they want to feed their families healthy food. Some people are concerned about genetically altered or virally tainted food. Some people are affected by the harsh economic times. Some people are doing it just because they want the feeling of accomplishment. Whatever the reasons, The Sustainable Food Movement is moving thru this country stronger than ever. However, some local municipalities are not happy about this.

Creative gardening techniques can clash with neighbor’s landscaping ideals. Some people think that chickens and goats cannot be pets but are signs of lower social status and poverty. Forsyth County has deemed honeybees ‘livestock’ and banned them from backyards. Marietta says you have to have five acres for a chicken that the Georgia Cooperative Extension Service says only needs around 4 square feet. NIMBY people like these are more concerned about “What about the property value of the neighborhood?” than the people that live in the neighborhood. They would rather ban such activities outright, lest take a chance that a few people could violate local nuisance or health laws. This is akin to outlawing dogs because some people cannot keep their dog on a leash or keep it from defecating in their neighbor’s lawn. If we outlawed banks, we would reduce the number of bank robberies. But we are not talking about dogs or banks; we are talking about people’s inalienable rights, which among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

In 2011, Representative Bobby Franklin introduced House Bill 2 into the Georgia General Assembly. It reads: “No county, municipality, consolidated government, or local government authority shall prohibit or require any permit for the growing or raising of food crops or chickens, rabbits, or milk goats in home gardens, coops, or pens on private residential property so long as such food crops or animals or the products thereof are used for human consumption by the occupant of such property and members of his or her household and not for commercial purposes.” It goes on to state: “This Code section shall not prohibit or impair:

(1) The authority of a local governmental entity to abate a public nuisance;

(2) The authority of a local governmental entity to regulate or restrict the slaughter of goats;

(3) Any cause of action brought by a private citizen to abate a private nuisance under Code Section 41-2-4; or

(4) Any private covenant or other private agreement restricting the use of real property.”

Franklin argued that his bill isn’t the state overriding local control, its returning control to the most local unit: the family. “The whole concept is no level of state government should ever tell a person that they are prohibited from feeding their family. Chickens for the eggs and the meat, rabbits for the meat, goats for the milk and you can feed your family.” He passed on before he could see this bill through.

In 2012, this bill is still alive, but it needs help. We, the people of Georgia need to stand up and say, “Enough!” Our legislators need to know that we still value our rights and we want them back. We are up against some powerful lobbyists, who represent the cities and the municipalities. They say, “This law would tie the hands of local governments to protect the other property owners in that residential district.” They know that this is not true. The law specifically retains the ability of local governments to enact and enforce nuisance and sanitary laws. It restores sanity to our communities that have been overrun with superficial NIMBY’s and control-freak RINO’s. We have plenty of sheep in our neighborhoods; now let’s get the Rights to own gardens, chickens, and goats back.

Joseph Pond

Marietta, Georgia

www.gafoodrights.org

This past weekend, Albany Herald metro editor Carlton Fletcher wrote in his column about something an anonymous source told him regarding what can only be described as voter fraud.  Fletcher’s column, coupled with the Journal article several weeks back, clearly indicate that something is going on in this town with regard to how elections are handled.

Despite comments from others made online and not directed to me that “credible journalists don’t hide behind anonymous sources”, I actually did take a great deal of time to consider the ramifications of using my information.  I have little doubt Carlton did as well.  You see, anonymous sources remain anonymous for a variety of reasons.  I’ve discussed it previously, as did Carlton.

In reality, there should be little surprise that anonymous sources are used.  What should be surprising to local officials is just how little surprise generated by the Journal article or the Herald column.  Frankly, there isn’t any.

For what it’s worth, I had heard the same thing Carlton wrote about.  The sources on those had no firsthand knowledge of what was supposedly happening, so I didn’t write about it.  I couldn’t get some confirmation and, despite what some may think, I don’t run rumors and without that confirmation, that’s all I had.

Fletcher and I have both hit on a key problem in this community, and that is that there is little trust in the election process, and apparently for good reason.  We were both approached by people with firsthand knowledge of the dirty nature politics, but from different angles.

The citizens of Dougherty County have known that our system is screwed up.  They know that there are serious issues with the election process.  The initial Journal story wasn’t groundbreaking except that it essentially confirmed what most in this community already knew.  They knew that elections could be bought, and they even knew some names that were doing it.  It was Albany’s worst kept secret.

However, now that this information is out there, there’s a chance we can do something about it.  Now there is an opportunity for the citizens of Albany and Dougherty County to step in and make things right.  We can do that, but first we need a bit of help.

These crimes need to be investigated.  They need to be investigated and any guilty party needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  While many don’t rate this crime as heinous as murder or rape, they need to understand that these criminals are killing our democratic principles; they are raping our way of self governing.  Yes, they are criminals in every way one can imagine.

I applaud Carlton Fletcher for writing that column.  I suspect it wasn’t easy for him, but it was definitely needed. To those who believe that using anonymous sources is somehow wrong, keep in mind that anonymous sources have broken many important news stories.  Just because someone’s anonymous, doesn’t mean they’re wrong.

I’m sick of hyphens.  Oh, I still use them, but I’m sick of them.  I’m not alone either, because more and more people are starting to lash out about hyphens.

The problem with hyphens isn’t some bizarre issue with a punctuation mark, but the fact that so many Americans identify themselves as some form of hyphenated American.  African-American (Despite the fact that most have been in this nation for generations and have never even set foot in Africa), Irish-Americans (see previous), Italian-American (again, see previous), etc., are all prime examples of what’s wrong with this country.

Once upon a time, people came to this nation in hopes of becoming a citizen.  An American.  They didn’t want to be Irish-American or Iranian-American, but an American.

This nation stood as a beacon of freedom since its inception.  That freedom wasn’t perfect, and was completely false for many Americans prior to the Civil War, but that was still the image this nation possessed.  People came here in clear hopes of a better life.

This nation, on the other hand, asked people to bring their hopes and dreams – and even their traditions and culture – to our shores to help build this nation into something beyond amazing.

However, by now we have all heard someone refer to themselves as some form of hyphenated American.  On the surface, it doesn’t seem like a big deal.  Unfortunately, it is a big deal.  A very big deal.

While those who use hyphens feel that the hyphenation is nothing but a way to stay connected to their roots, the darker side that many of these good folks have missed is that it also serves as a way to separate us.  By hyphenating our nationalities to such extremes, we are segregating ourselves and our children from our fellow Americans.

There will always be things which will divide us to some extent.  Politics, religion, sports, or whatever will separate us to some extent, but these are single issues.  A Baptist Republican and a Muslim Democrat may well stand together to cheer on the Braves during baseball season, or the Falcons during the upcoming playoffs.  While we may have divisions in some aspects of our lives, those divisions can be short lived.

However, when we hyphenate our nationalities like so many have done, we segregate ourselves from our fellow Americans.  Those who do so essentially cut themselves off from other people by erecting a barrier that cannot be pushed aside.  Over time, people see those from outside their hyphenated groups as something worthy of scorn and derision.

This is especially true in places like New York.  While many think of the City That Never Sleeps as a cosmopolitan city that would be above such petty things as ethnicity, the truth is far different.  While the Deep South was dealing with racism in the 1960’s, my parents were in New York.  My father was in the Navy, stationed at the Brooklyn Naval Ship Yard.  There, these two southern kids saw racism to an extreme they never imagined.

For example, the Irish mailman intentionally dropping mail on the floor so a pregnant woman would have to bend over to pick it up…because she had an Italian surname.  My mother having to bag up her on groceries at the supermarket across the street from my parent’s apartment, all because she wasn’t Italian.

These aren’t extreme examples.  These were common during that time period.  People began to identify with their ancestral nationality to such an extreme that they begin to look on fellow Americans as being something else entirely.

So yeah, I hate hyphens.  Not because of the hyphen itself, but because of what so many of our fellow Americans are doing with those hyphens.  I’d rather we all be Americans and just call it a day.

Now that we know who our next mayor is, and I’ve addressed her directly (see last week’s Outlook), it’s time to address the city leaders as a whole.  You see, our economy sucks.  I could sugar coat it in such a way that sounds less offensive as a whole, but that just wouldn’t be my style.  I call it like I see it, and what I see says that it sucks.

However, there have been some positive moves.  The best was an effort to get our local delegation to Atlanta to see about getting rid of that ridiculous energy tax.  That tax unnecessarily increases the cost of energy in Southwest Georgia and makes it extremely difficult to compete for new industries that our community so desperately needs.

Make no mistake folks, this is a good thing.  It’s such a good thing, in fact, that I liked it when B.J. Fletcher was campaigning on it.  I thought it was a great idea.  Apparently, so did some of our beloved leaders who, despite their efforts to endorse her opponent, have embraced Fletcher’s plank as if it where their own.

Of course, what matters most is getting Albany out of the sewer of economic stagnation and moving it forward.  While the repeal of the energy tax can certainly help with that, it’s not enough all on its own.

That’s why I hope the powers that be in Albany will take a moment and realize that if Fletcher had one really good idea, and she’s been as successful a businesswoman as we have all seen, then perhaps she has a lot more good ideas. If someone has good ideas, why not use them where they can do the most good?

It’s my hope, and my suggestion, that the powers that be put B.J. Fletcher on the Economic Development Commission.

Few can argue that Fletcher has been anything but a success in business.  Few can argue that she was wrong about the energy tax as well, as is evidenced by the fact that repealing the tax is being discussed by those powers that be.  With that in mind, there is no compelling reason for Fletcher to not be on the EDC, except for ridiculous rumors or personal grudges.

Honestly, Fletcher clearly has a good handle on what works and what doesn’t work in Albany.  She knows what can help create economic opportunity and what will inhibit efforts to grow.  We need someone with that kind of knowledge and a willingness to work toward helping Albany leave stagnation behind.

Or, we could find out that the new powers that be would rather keep things like they have been.  While less than surprising, it would still be disappointing.  Having almost 28 percent of your population living in poverty is hardly a status quo we can believe in.

Dorothy Hubbard is our next mayor.  Some are thrilled by that prospect, some are not.  Regardless of people’s feelings on the matter, it’s a done deal.  However, I thought I would take a moment to speak to our new mayor.

To start with, Mayor-elect Hubbard, you should consider one very important fact.  Most of the people of Albany didn’t vote for you.  Oh, you got a majority of the votes.  That fact isn’t being disputed.  However, with such low turnout, and such close results, it would be a good idea for you to keep in mind that very few people actually did vote for you.

In all honesty, the same would be true of a Mayor-elect Fletcher as well.  However, B.J. Fletcher isn’t the winner.  No, you are.  That means that the microscope is on you for the next four years.

No elected official wants to be a one termer.  I can understand that.  One term means you weren’t successful, and it’s human nature to want to succeed.  However, as a mayor, your success is judged not by the amount of money in your bank account or the car that you drive, but by what the people of Albany think of your tenure.

It would be in your best interests to consider a few things.

To start with, while I respect your belief that education is vital to Albany, keep in mind that many of us in the community know that as mayor you have very little impact on education.  Education governance comes from either the Dougherty County School Board or the State of Georgia.  The mayor of Albany has little say with either body.

Not only that, but education can only be part of the process. We can educate thousands, but without jobs available for those newly educated folks, they simply won’t stick around.  Who would go to school for four years and then not at least try to get a job in their field that utilizes their skills?  The answer is no one.

Many of those who opposed you in the election felt that you represented the status quo.  The problem with the status quo is that, at least in Albany, it sucks. Far too many people are dissatisfied with the town as it is.

Yes, I agree with many who feel that folks should step up and try to change the town if they don’t like how it is…but only to a point.  You see, some of us are working our tails off, trying to provide for our families.  We have opted to focus on spending time with our children over ignoring them and spending time doing other things.  Call us selfish if you will, but that doesn’t change the fact that we can’t all get involved in 10,000 special interest groups’ efforts to change the town. I also volunteer with some causes, but others have less time than I do.

Does that mean those people shouldn’t complain? Hardly.  As the mayor, it would benefit you to remember that those people have a vote as well.  If they’re not happy with what happens on your watch, then you will find yourself in a position much like a large percentage of our population currently finds itself: unemployed.

Bear that in mind, and work with that hanging over your head.  Remember that most of the people in this town didn’t vote for you, but also that you have a golden opportunity to win them over.  Work towards that goal, and you’ll do just fine.  Don’t, and you’ll find out just how fickle supporters can be.

I sat in a superior courtroom for endless hours, listening to lawyers speak.  Apparently, I had angered God and was being punished for whatever transgressions I had committed.  After said punishment, I deeply apologize for whatever I did to deserve that. However, there was something entertaining about that visit to a courtroom to hear Ward 2 candidate Melissa Strother’s assertions on why there needs to be a Ward 2 election, and that was more of the Ivey Hines contention that 259 Albanians decided to protest with their votes.

The assertion, which was first made after Hines was declared the Ward 2 winner, sounded ridiculous at first.  Hines didn’t state it as a fact however, only a possibility why so many people voted for a woman who had been removed from the ballot.

However, as I listened to Hines’ attorney, Maurice King, as he questioned witnesses, it became clear that the assertion was becoming part of his reasons why the process as it was done should be upheld.

Now, I’m not going to get into all of that.  There were a lot of things going on, and few of them were good.  That’s been detailed within the pages of this fine paper previously.

The assertion though, that 259 people in Albany decided to protest Cheryl Calhoun’s treatment, seems fantastic at best.  In fact, I haven’t found any mention in local media that such an effort as afoot.  No squawks in the other paper’s box, no piece on WALB or WFXL, no evidence of mention on local radio.  Nothing. I know for a fact that this paper had no such mention, and have been unable to find anything in that other paper either.

Yet Hines and King would have us believe that 259 people came together and were able to engineer a protest vote for Calhoun, with no mention in local media either before or after the race.  Protests only work if people know you’re protesting.  Cheryl Calhoun says that no one has approached her to say they voted for her out of protest, so I find it unlikely that a living soul did.

The far more likely scenario is that 259 Ward 2 voters didn’t know she had been disqualified. Several voters testified Friday that they didn’t see news stories that Calhoun had been disqualified, but had learned about it “on the streets.”

However, King repeatedly questioned election officials as to whether they were allowed to prevent someone from voting a particular way.  They all said no, which was hardly surprising. That was never the issue though.

What King apparently didn’t grasp wasn’t whether people should be permitted to vote for Cheryl Calhoun out of protest, but whether any of them actually did.  The evidence that they do so is rather scant, if not outright nonexistent.  Frankly, they just didn’t do it.

It’s my hope that if Ivey Hines is going to be the Ward 2 commissioner, and should the courts decided he is, he will put away these ridiculous notions of what people did and didn’t do and focus on moving Albany forward.

Take a look at Albany.  Is it any better off than it was four years ago? Eight years ago? Twelve?  Of course it isn’t.  Only a fool would believe that it really is.  We have 10.4 percent unemployment, and that’s actually down from the previous month.  We have little prospect for new industry coming to town.  The big news hasn’t been a new factory, but a new Olive Garden for Pete’s sake!

However, we see the established powers that be in Albany choosing to endorse a candidate.  Over the past week, John Howard, Roger Marietta, Freddie Powell-Sims, and Carol Fullerton have all come out in support of Dorothy Hubbard.

Anyone who votes for Hubbard based on that is probably brain dead.

Now, I’m not saying that it’s wrong to support a candidate.  It’s not.  I’m also not saying that everyone who supports Hubbard is brain dead, because that’s not true either.  There are a lot of reasons to support any candidate, and it’s up to each individual to determine who they choose to support and why.

However, Hubbard’s endorsements come from the very people who have had the opportunity to lead this community through the darkness and have failed.  They have sat on the city commission or in the General Assembly and we, their constituents, have nothing to show for it.

In reality, these folks support Hubbard not for her policies, but the fact that they don’t think she’ll upset the apple cart.  They like the status quo.  Unfortunately, the status quo has got to go.

Not only that, but I have to question the wisdom of these people actually giving these endorsements.  After all, there’s no guarantee that Hubbard will win the election, and they all will have to work with whoever wins.

During election night, I was speaking with a member of the General Assembly at an election party for a mayoral candidate.  They confided that they were going to a different election party later in the evening for another mayoral candidate. “I’ve got to work with whoever wins,” they said.  I agreed with him then, and I do now as well.

Each of these endorsements comes from someone who will have to work with Mayor Fletcher should she win. Now, they’ve already made it clear that they don’t want her in that chair, and that can make things difficult in many ways.  Not that Fletcher would hold a grudge necessarily, but it will definitely make favors harder to come by.

Mayor Willie Adams made his endorsement as well, and I see no problem with that.  He’s out the door.  He doesn’t have to work with the new mayor in any way other than as a constituent.  There’s no reason for him not make an endorsement.  The same is true of former city commissioner Morris Gurr.

However, I find it telling that those who were in positions to do a great many things for the betterment of Albany and didn’t do any of them have opted to endorse Dorothy Hubbard.  It seems to me that they know exactly what she will do to improve Albany, and that’s not much different than she’s already done.

The Dougherty County School Board opted to give the proverbial slap on the wrist to Morningside Elementary School principle Gloria Baker by assessing a 15 day suspension without pay.  While it was nice to see a decision that, for once, didn’t go down racial lines, it was still a sad moment for the taxpayers of Albany.

Baker and her husband knowingly lied on paperwork in an effort to give their daughter free school lunch, despite Baker’s $90,000 per year salary.  This is, plain and simple, fraud.  While the courts will be addressing Baker’s case, employment in Georgia isn’t contingent on what the courts say.

Dougherty County Schools Superintendent Joshua Murfree’s initial reaction was that Baker is an excellent educator.  Frankly, that’s neither here nor there.  A fine educator must still follow society’s rules; just let the rest of us.  If anyone else defrauded their employer – or a program that their employer administered for the federal government – then we would find ourselves as an unemployment statistic rather quickly.

Baker should not have been given a slap on the wrist like she was.  Instead, she should have been terminated immediately.  While it’s true that in our legal system, people are innocent until proven guilty, that applies only to our legal system.  Employers are free to fire employees who engage in such shenanigans and then let the legal system have its way.

Of course, when one looks at some of this school board’s own shenanigans, we really shouldn’t expect better.  For example, just look at Murfree’s hiring.  Two other candidates – candidates who I happen to feel were infinitely more qualified – were pushed to the side so that Murfree could be hired.  The board even declined to publish the names of all three finalists despite an earlier promise to do so.

The result of that action has been an ineffective school superintendent who’s brain children include taking all students of the Dougherty County School System to Atlanta and the aborted half day this past Friday, which was apparently decided on that Wednesday afternoon.

The poor decisions that the school board makes have lasting ramifications to the city, and this latest is no exception.  A 15 days suspension, even without pay, is no real punishment.  There is little incentive for others in the school system to not engage in similar activity.  Terminating Baker would have made it clear that fraud from school system employees was not to be tolerated.

While it is possible that Baker will be terminated after an actual conviction, that still doesn’t convey the correct message.  The message thing becomes, “don’t get caught” versus “don’t even think about it.”  Personally, and I think I speak for a lot of other Albanians, I think we would rather the message fall into the “don’t even think about it” category.  At least then there’s a chance we won’t see more of this type of thing.

However, when it comes to the Dougherty County School System, I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.